US Embassy reminder: Income affidavits for visas to cease Jan 1

PHUKET: The US Embassy in Bangkok is reminding US citizens that the US Mission in Thailand will cease providing income affidavits and will not notarise previous versions of the income affidavit from Jan 1.

Joining Mr Castonguay was Bussabonglahwan Pattaro, Information Specialist Media and Cultural Section at the US Embassy in Bangkok.

The embassy first announced on Oct 26 that the United States Embassy in Bangkok and the US Consulate General in Chiang Mai will no longer provide an income affidavit effective Jan 1, 2019.

However, Mr Castonguay yesterday explained it would be prudent to remind US citizens in the weeks running up to the New Year.

“The Royal Thai Government requires applicants to meet a minimum income threshold to obtain a non-immigrant long-term stay visa. While the Thai government has previously relied on income affidavits to demonstrate this fact, the US government has no mechanism to confirm individual incomes and cannot legally claim to do so,” said the original notice.

“Because the US government has no means of confirming a US citizen’s income, a notarised affidavit from the US Embassy has never met the requirement to prove a minimum income level for a non-immigrant ‘O’, ‘O-A’, or ‘O-X’ long-term stay visa,” it added.

“There are other methods for US citizens to demonstrate they are eligible for this Thai visa category. US citizens residing in Thailand should refer to the Thai government for information about verifying their income moving forward,” the statement advised.

The move to cease providing the income affidavits coincides with the UK embassy no longer issuing any statements confirming the income of one of their citizens from Jan 1.

The Australian Embassy in Bangkok has followed suit, effective Jan 7 (see here), and the Danish Embassy in Bangkok has ceased issued such statements with immediate effect (See here.)

Meanwhile, Phuket Immigration Deputy Chief Lt Col Archeep Jaroensuntisuk confirmed to The Phuket News late last month, “Of course this letter is no longer needed if the embassy no longer issues it.

“However, the foreigner applying for the visa (or permit-to-stay) will still have to prove that they have the funds to stay in the country,” he added. (See story here.)

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